As we all know, the
WTC bombing in the USA has brought tremendous effect in our economy. And of course, all of
us are looking for ways to cut down on our expenses. Here is a collection of strategies
for cutting your… grocery bill.

Start with strategies that you can implement without causing major revolt in your
family, moving gradually to a goal of a lower budget for food that is healthy, wholesome
and homemade. This way, you can see the changes along the way and be willing to make more
frugal choices as you and your family get more comfortable with this way of eating and
shopping. Start with a few things and keep adding, soon you will see a HUGE difference in
your food budget!

1.Attitude of gratitude.A long journey begins with a single step and this is your first step. Begin
with your own attitude towards being frugal, because it will impact the rest of your
family. How can they be excited about changes if you aren't? So start by being thankful
for all that you have, even if your life seems far from perfect (Guess what? We ALL feel
that way! ).

2.Use everything.
When you are cooking, think about how you can get every last food mile out of what you are
making. Meat bones and vegetable trimmings can be made into wonderful stocks. Leftover vegetables and meats can be
thrown into the same stock for free soups and stews or put into pot pies, homemade
"hot pockets", crepes, casseroles, you name it. Look at food waste in an
entirely new light; try to get every thing out of your food dollar!

3. The price book.
This is the most useful tool in making sure that every food dollar you spend is spent
well. The basic idea of the price book is to have a system for tracking prices so that
when you see something on sale, you will know whether it is really a good buy or not. Use
a three ring binder and loose leaf paper. At the top of each page, put several column
headings: Date, Store, Item, Size, Price, Unit Price, Sale. At the top right hand corner
of the paper, put the name of the item (such as "bread", "milk",
"cereal", etc). When you see a sale or even a regular price, write it down in
the price book. It is easier to do this at home with store receipts or sale ads, instead
of in the store, where some employees may mistake you for a competitor's spy --- it does
happen! After a few months of tracking prices, you will know what is a good deal and what
is not. The most important section of the price book is the unit price, because that tells
you, no matter what size the item, how much you are actually paying per pound or ounce or
other unit of measure.

4. Bulk buying.
With the price book in hand, you will be able to bulk buy with much more confidence. Now
when flour goes down to 49 cents for a 5 pound bag, you will know that this is an
excellent price and to stock up. Then when it goes back up over a dollar, you'll still be
using the flour that you bought for the lowest price and smiling. Bulk buying can be a
little scary at first. Buying so much can be intimidating. How will I use this all? How
will I store it? The answer is to get creative. Things that can be kept at room
temperature can be stored under beds, in closets, anywhere. This is especially true of
canned goods. Flour can be frozen (to prevent weevils) and then stored in airtight
containers at room temperature.

5. Use your freezer.
Eventually you will want to have a deep freeze to stock up on good deals on meats and
other frozen items. A freezer is a great investment and tightwad tool. If you can get an
older one cheap, it may be a good deal if it is still efficient --- 10-15 year old models
are ok, but a 30-year-old freezer will cost a bundle in energy. Check out newer, more
efficient models and put the word out that you are looking for a freezer.

6. Cut down/out on the junk food.
If you can get the tribe to completely give up the soda, chips, cookies, candy, etc, good
for you! You can still buy chips for lunches only, and enjoy popcorn and homemade pizza on
your weekly movie night.

7. Make it yourself.
Ban those convenience foods! If you can't totally cut out junk foods, make them yourself.
Instead of ordering a pan pizza, why not try making them yourself? It will definitely cost
you less and you know exactly what’s in your pizza…

8. Cut down or stop eating at restaurants.
Make it a special occasion to go out to eat rather than a common event. Eat out once a
month and use coupons to cut costs even further.

9. Clone your favorite brand name and restaurant recipes.
This is not as hard as it sounds. Most popular convenience foods and restaurant foods were
inspired by their homemade counterparts. Their secret to recreating these foods well is to
go back to the original homemade versions. Many basic cookbooks have wonderful recipes for
homemade sauces, breads, etc. There are some great cookbooks that strive to duplicate some
of the more favorite purchased foods.

10. Eat less meat.
Does spaghetti really have to have all those meatballs? Does your pizza really have to
have all of that meat on it? Only you will know for sure what your family will miss and
what it won't. Many other cultures use meat sparingly in their dishes. Check out Asian and
Indian recipes in particular. Try to think of meat as an accent to the dinner rather than
the main course. If this is too difficult, try cutting portion sizes of meats and adding
more side dishes to compensate. There is always a way to cut down on meat consumption.

11. Stretch Meats.
You may be able to get away with extending your meat by mixing in extra veggies, grains or
even stretch meats by cutting amounts in recipes and adding more beans, veggies or grains
to the dish until your family complains.

12. Use your leftovers.
Get a free meal by saving those leftovers. If you think you will forget about them, label
them and freeze. On leftover night, have a smorgasbord. You can also create "party
trays" with smidgeons of this and that arranged prettily. Restaurants offer these,
why can't you?

13. Pack your lunches.
This is a great way to use up leftovers. Lunches don't have to be boring either. Think of
items you might order at a deli and duplicate them at home. Send the kids with homemade
hoagies, pitas stuffed with tuna, BLTs, pigs in blankets, cold pizza (they love this),
bologna burritos (just a bologna sandwich on a tortilla instead of bread), and homemade
hot pockets. Have them participate in the lunch decisions or in actually making the
lunches. This helps stem complaints. Include non-messy fruits like bananas, apples and
grapes, dried fruit, trail mix, popcorn, chips and homemade goodie -- cookies, pudding,
rice krispy treats, etc.

14. Take drinks with you.
If you are working and spend money on coffee, buy a thermos and take your own. Take along
water or tea in a big jug on outings, especially during the summer months -- this will
help you resist the temptation of stopping at a fast food joint and ordering an
overpriced, under-nourishing soda. Pack drinks for the kids if you pack their lunches.

15. Fill up on healthier foods.
As you may have noticed from the selection of lunches above, we always include healthy
foods in the kid's lunches. Try to offer them fruits and popcorn as snacks, rather than
junk food. Offer them water between meals with the occasional Koolaid. Buy whole grain
breads only and try to make mostly whole or half white/half whole grain baked goods. Any
change is better than none. Whole grains and healthy foods fill you up and nourish you.
You will eat less and crave less because your body is nourished more. Think of wholesome
foods as an investment in your health. You may also find yourself visiting the doctor less
often. Other ways of putting more healthy foods in your diet is by eating brown rice
instead of white, wheat bread instead of white, offer water between meals instead of
koolaid and soda (and try to actually drink 8 glasses of water daily), keep fruits on hand
instead of candy and cookies, fix veggie trays and dips for snacks instead of offering
chips. These little changes, done daily can add up to big savings in money, loss of weight
and better health.